Republic Army
The Republic Army, also known as the Republic Armies[1], was the collective military ground forces of the Galactic Republic from its founding in 25,053 BBY until its dissolution in 1,000 BBY. What information there is reveals that its forces included specialized troops such as rocket-jumpers and also a fair number of combat droids of differing models. Each Army division was associated with particular places or beings. For example, a division raised on Coruscant might adopt (or be given) that name as part of its title thereby becoming the "Coruscant Division". One part of the Republic Army that outlived the rest was the Academy of Carida which served as one of its officer training schools. Overview Organization :"We'd rather rent than own." :―Admiral Veltraa on the Republic Army.[src] http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/9/97/JumpinRockets.jpgRepublic rocket-jumpers, a faction of the Republic Army in 3,998 BBY. As the early Republic Armies consisted of local militias with no true command in place, its generals often received its orders straight from the Republic Defense Ministry and there was no single surface marshal that coordinated or directed its operations. This often left individual army units being ultimately in the control of theRepublic Navy and led to many soldiers being stationed more on their starships than on planetary surfaces. This meant that in wartime scenarios, members of the Republic Armies tended to be in transit onboard starships rather than be stationed on planets. The chaotic nature of this formation meant that there was no uniformity within the Republic Armies and not all of its individual units were created equally. In fact, units did not possess any uniform designation but rather their original nomenclatures. Its structure tended to possess both local and historical eccentricities though there were elements common amongst the various military divisions.[1] A common factor that the Republic Army suffered from was its reliance on the Navy for not only transportation but orbital support though only lip service was ever provided in times of conflict. In addition, the Navy often jealously withheld the support of its starfighter squadrons which denied the Army the capacity to maintain an orbit free of enemy fighters after the fleet had left.[2] This meant that the Army exerted very little in the terms of political influence in the Republic. Despite this being the case, the Navy showed little desire to incorporate the Army units and incorporate them as marines with themselves as the controlling body. This tended to form a sometimes violent cultural clash between the two divisions but also meant that the biggest expense faced by the Army such as the movement of their vehicles was placed on the Navy's budget.[1] The Army also suffered on a financial level during the years of the Old Republic which had a detriment on the procurement of equipment at the time.[2] With pay and conditions being far worse compared to the Navy, the Army surface units tended to suffer from severe recruitment problems. In order to combat this problem, the Republic began contracting any existing local militias or even mercenary units; sometimes buying them out entirely. A further incentive for dangerous assignments was the offer of healthy signing bonuses for those that accepted entry into the Republic Armies. Though service was not compulsory, it was known that the irregular units tended to make use of recruiting methods that the Defense Ministry did not want to know about.[1] http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/5/56/RepublicTroopersKotORCG.jpgSoldiers battling the Sith. Within the Army, there was a clear distinction between combat troops and support as well as command elements. As such, only the actual soldiers appeared on the battlefield and engaged the enemy while the command as well as support personnel remained far removed from the actual combat. This meant that it was very rare to see an individual with the rank of lieutenant being present in actual blaster combat.[2] During the era of the war against theMandalorians, it was officially believed that there was no rank of lieutenant, captain or colonel present within the Army in order to prevent any confusion with the Naval positions. However, on a vestigial level, it existed amongst the irregular native units along with a number of more stranger titles including commandant, Gray Chieftain and Grand Xenog.[1] They were divided into various subgroups which included: *'Squad' : consisting of 8 to 12 infantry that were led by both a sergeant and a corporal.[1] *'Battalion' : consisting of squads ranging from 25 to 40 that were led by a major and it was within these groupings where specializations were allowed which were at times assigned to other corps.[1] *'Brigade' : ranging between 4 and 9 battalions that had the capacity to hold either 1,000 or 5,000 soldiers. It was led by a brigadier with its own headquarters unit with their mission roles involving large scale landing operations as well as raids and occupation with their command and control being directed from Navy vessels if present.[1] *'Corps' : these consisted of all forces present in the region and were named after the planet which served as their headquarters. A general served as its leader though they simply just directed the orders from the Defense Ministry to the individual brigadiers.[1] EquipmentEdit Republic soldiers were decently equipped and supported by several kinds of aerial vehicles. They bore bothgrenades and blasters. Following the chaos of the Great Sith War, a deliberate decision to reintroduce melee weapons was made. This was brought about by the abundance of lightsaber wielding opponents. To guard against these weapons, Republic swords were required to be made with a cortosis weave, often of Echani origin. Armor was worn and was noted for its modular nature. One characteristic of the Republic military was its equipping of its personnel with an array of cybernetic implants and head-wear. Some of these were deliberately designed to provide mental protection against the powers of Dark Jedi opponents. Another trait was its use of specialty equipment, such as the stealth field generator, and also physical enhancement technology. These were non-combat items and saw considerable research and development as a result of the Republic's use. As of the Jedi Civil War, personal shield generators were used. Some models were purchased and some were manufactured directly for the Republic. However, the cost of these devices was such that only small units could be assured of a continual supply. Strike teams favored them as they enabled them to outfight an entire unit with conventional gear. The Republic Army also made use of defensive devices such as turrets and a variety of land mines. This latter item ranged from fragmentation to plasma to toxin though the first was used more commonly due to how expensive deadly toxins were. It was known that the Republic Army made use of battle droids amongst their forces to augmented their fighting potential with the Sentinel droid being one common version used for a time. RanksEdit http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/8/87/Kotor_manaan_rep_soldier.jpgA Republic soldier. There were several ranks and positions within the armies of the Republic and included: *'Army Brigadier' : the highest ranking officers within the Republic military that was deployed on the field. During the age of the Jedi Civil War, these brigadiers were often challenged with adequately supplying their troopers on the battlefield though certain clever individuals often had their forces live off the land. They were also not noted for their negotiation skills which was a hindrance in operations that did not require any military action. Some brigadiers sabotaged their own careers in a way that did not harm their troops in order to avoid being promoted to full general and thus be burdened by the responsibilities of that post.[1] *'Army Officer' : these field commanders often held the rank of sergeant or corporal and descended from local militia's mercenary groups before they joined the Republic army. This made them the brightest as well as the best officers available. During the time of the Jedi Civil War, these officers were given extensive training in the use of vibroweapon's after it was recognized thatlightsaber wielding Sith often targeted these soldiers in order to eliminate their leadership of their units.[1] *'Army Trooper' : the heart of the Republic's army consisted of squads of army troopers who were kept in close quarters to the point that they considered themselves all friends. Commanders often kept these individuals together to encourage camaraderie and improve the units performance. However, logistical problems at the time led to the Republic Army not recognizing the special skills of individuals troopers and not assigning them to squads that would benefit from their abilities.[1] *'Army Recon Commando' : descended from mercenary units that were skilled in special missions that required multitasking and were often fitted for a variety of multiple environment specializations. These soldiers were grouped together into reconnaissance squads that were often inserted onto the battlefield in order to gather intelligence on enemy positions. This was not their only purpose as Recon Commandos often engaged tactical control operations as well as were employed to position combat squads. In addition, these soldiers were tasked with covert ops such as sabotage or assisting Jedi that were in the field. Those inducted into the ranks of the Recon Commandos were often extremely busy as their talents were greatly used.[1] DivisionsEdit *Personnel Division *Republic Guard *Republic rocket-jumper *Republic soldier *Republic Special Forces **Republic trooper HistoryEdit http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/4/4e/MandalorianWarsRepublicTrooper.jpgSoldiers fighting during the Mandalorian Wars. The Army existed as far back as 4,000 BBY; maintenance of it along with the Republic Navy was handled by the Minister of Defense in the aftermath of the Great Hyperspace War.[3] Following that time, Brigadiers of the Republic Armies were known to had participated within the Great Sith War. At the start of the Mandalorian Wars, there were multiple armies in different sectors of the Galaxy. They were only united under one banner whenRevan took charge of the military.[1] A large number of these soldiers later turned traitor and became Sith troopers when Darth Revan returned from the Unknown Regions and formed a Sith Empire. These former Republic soldiers were heavily involved in the Jedi Civil War and the resultant Dark Wars. The Republic Army later served to combat the reborn Sith Empire that instigated the Great Galactic War and also continued to protect the Republic's assets in the resultant Cold War that followed the conflict.[4] Around 2,000 BBY, when the Republic essentially collapsed at the start of the New Sith Wars, the Republic Army was replaced with the Jedi-led Army of Light. At some unknown point in the past, the army established a military academy on the planet Carida.[5] http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/2/2f/Bothawui3.jpgRepublic Troopers fighting alongside the Jedi against the Sith Empire. Following the end of the Wars in 1,000 BBY, the Ruusan Reformation nearly eliminated the Republic's military. The Republic Army remained, but was nothing more than a purely symbolic force; the few remaining ground military units were placed under the jurisdiction of the Judicial Forces. The Republic came to rely more heavily on Jedi Knights and local militaries for keeping peace in the galaxy. In 44 BBY during the Stark Hyperspace War,Ranulph Tarkin tried to portray the ground forces of his fleet as the legitimate Republic Army, even referring to it as such. In the final years of the Republic, the Army had degenerated into a poorly trained police force that simply wore fancy uniforms at the time.[2] At the time of the Separatist Crisis, a number of Militarist Senators within the Republic pushed for a reformation of both the Army and Naval military divisions. This later saw a vote being made for the Military Creation Act which saw a rebirth of the Republic Army in order to fight the threat of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. During the start of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY, the Republic Army was divided into two Order of battle; the first being the Grand Army of the Republic and the second being the Special Operations Brigade. These two divisions were ultimately under the authority of the Supreme Chancellor with their numbers consisting of clone troopers. The Grand Army of the Republic was afterwards used for front line conflicts while the Special Operations Brigade were used for covert ops as well as commando raids against the Confederacy of Independent Systems.[6] In addition, the ground units of the Judicial Forces were also inserted into the newly reformed Republic Army. At the time,Judicial Terrinald Screed voiced his opinion on the HoloNet that the Republic Army and Navy should fall under a unified command directed from Coruscant.[7] The GAR would then evolve into the Imperial Army upon theDeclaration of a New Order where it was revived from its previous existence and became a much more effective fighting force.[2] Many elements of the Republic Army such as the Special Missions units were later adopted by the Imperial Army and were expanded greatly which benefited these units.[8]